Give your students some real-world experience with the concept of interest rates over time. This authentic lesson plan puts students in the driver's seat as they contemplate lending money to a sibling. Is it more lucrative to demand payment at once, or accept a series of installments? Great basic introduction to a vital economic concept. Aligned to National Standards.

What effect did industrialization have on the American landscape? With an emphasis on the role America's forests played in the growth of business and industry, this lesson plan introduces students to the concepts of supply and demand, competition, prices and incentives, and conservation. The scope of the lesson plan expands to encompass today's market and the many household products that are derived from trees. Multiple options for assessment, extension activities, and ideas for interdisciplinary connections are provided. Aligned to National Standards.

Help students understand the concepts of goods, services, and producers by challenging them to identify examples of each that are evident in an elementary classroom. This lesson plan also includes several interactive click-and-drag activities, a link to a multimedia site that introduces students to workers within a typical community, a "student version" that can used as a complete Web based activity, and downloadable worksheets and materials. Aligned to National Standards.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plan on this site! This could be good for a geography or History class - be sure to save it as a favorite on your classroom computer to allow for easy retrieval later on.

Use deductive reasoning skills to isolate the diverse factors that contributed to the Great Depression. This standards-based lesson plan leads students through Internet research and analysis of related economic writings to the creation of a concept map illustrating the interdependence between businesses in a market economy. Aligned to National Standards.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of this free lesson plan in your classroom on a unit about the Great Depression. Not only would this be great in an economics class, but try using it in history or math - it has an interdisciplinary approach that shows the practical application of the math.

Learn about America's natural resources and brainstorm the specific consumer goods produced from these resources. Students must choose a state, investigate its natural features, develop a list of resources, and draw connections to possible products created from them. But make sure your students have a good grasp on map-reading skills and the role of renew able/nonrenewable resources in the manufacturing process before you begin the lesson. Includes a downloadable worksheet, an interactive drag-and-drop activity, and links to additional resources. Aligned to Standards.

Help your students become savvy consumers with this interactive media literacy site. Discover some common advertising tricks, analyze product packaging, and find out how to be more discriminating and less gullible when it comes to mass media. The "Teachers" link provides printer-friendly lesson plans and extension activities.

Practice and review basic economic vocabulary with this online matching activity. Click "Start Over to reset the game with a new set of words and definitions. Teachers may wish to check out the "List of Terms" for a consolidated glossary of all concepts used in the activity.

In the Classroom

Use this site as either an activator to assess how much students do know going into a unit, OR as a review tool assessing what needs practice before an exam. Have students complete the site individually on classroom computers, either simultaneously - or as a learning center or station. Student results can help teachers better tailor their instruction, catering to what the class most needs extra instruction in.

Be sure to post the site on your teacher wiki or webpage too, allowing students to review before an assessment both in and out of the classroom.

Add this entertaining resource to a study of the Midwestern United States and the Corn Belt. Your students will be "all ears" for this engaging multimedia presentation. While quite regional in content, it does provide students with an understanding of the history and economic importance of this crop. Check out the Teacher Resources for additional information, links to standards, and interdisciplinary connections.

In the Classroom

Save this site on classroom computers as a favorite. Allow students to access it as a learning center or station. This site is a great addition to any lesson about Native Americans, Geography of the corn belt, or the impact of globalization on the farming industry.

The history and splendor of one of America's most storied rivers is brought to life in this elegant site by MSNBC. An August 2004 trek down the full length of the Mississippi is carefully documented and interwoven with information about the geology, economic impact, navigation, history, and exploration of the river. A short video highlights the history of the Mississippi, from the days of its earliest explorers to the present. Each segment of the site offers slideshows, video, photographs, descriptive text, and interactive quizzes. Add this resource to an American history or geography lesson, or incorporate it into a literature unit on Mark Twain.

In the Classroom

For a history classroom, use this site to complement almost a year long class of American History. Starting with the Louisiana purchase, the Mississippi became a vital component of American trade and settlement patterns, all of which can be reflected by the variety of stories found on every mile southward. With every unit in a history class, there is a mile on the Mississippi that is applicable. Tie in unit endings with the free resources offered by MSNBC, whether it be video, slides, quizzes or a story. Students will enjoy seeing the impacts of history in our world today!

This expansive site promotes understanding of global issues using background information on the mission of the United Nations, country profiles, and downloadable curricula and lesson plans. A variety of cleverly designed interactive games challenge students to match countries and flags, test their knowledge of geography, or go on an interactive mission with "Pook" to save the world. There are many options for using this site in the classroom. Make the interactive activities part of an independent learning center, use the country profiles to introduce a geography lesson, or use the student-friendly resource to introduce the functions of the U.N. Qualify for free materials for your classroom by volunteering to review and test the site's features.

In the Classroom

WOW are there a lot of resources on this site! Use the quizzes and games to help students review before an assessment or practice the content after instruction. There are also webquests that could be used as introductory activities or as the starting point for individual or group projects. Save this site as a favorite to allow for easy retrieval and to keep up to date on updates added. This would be great in a Government or World History class.

Major events in 20th century history are presented in this impressive CNN site. Visitors can select an era, choose an event, and read a brief synopsis. The video gallery offers a collection of riveting clips, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Great Crash of 1929, and the fall of Saigon. Follow the link to a Time Magazine site to find special reports on life-changing events that have taken place over the course of the past eight decades. This is an outstanding supplement to a 20th century American history class.

Add a little bit of economic reality to a 20th century American history lesson. Just choose a country and year, and this site will provide exchange rate data between the United State dollar and foreign currency. Changes in currency units for countries throughout the world and links to related resources are included.

In the Classroom

Use this site as an aid for discussing the price differences and comparisons between todays world and now. This information would be great when discussing early American history, when most books and colonizers make reference to British currency. Teachers can either translate the currency before class, or can have students complete it as an in-class activity. One way to do so would be to find a primary document or textbook article that mentions the severity of a tax on the 13 colonies. Have students complete the calculator to find out what colonists were really paying in comparison to what British-bound citizens were paying. use this to spur a discussion that then pro's and con's how severe taxes were and whether they were ample reason to revolt against Great Britiain.

He's more than just a pretty face on the $10 bill! Alexander Hamilton's life and influence are examined in this site that presents a timeline of events during and after his life, highlights from his writings, and a biographical gallery of his peers. Visitors can even test their knowledge of his life and accomplishments with a twenty-question interactive quiz. This is probably more information than your students need to know about Mr. Hamilton, but the site provides a unique approach to understanding some significant events in American history.

In the Classroom

Use this site as a introductory activity for a lesson on the founding fathers. Introduce this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector before allowing students to explore it on their own. We recommend creating a graphic organizer or follow-along for the website to insure students are getting the most out of it. What is great about it is that it provides students with a lot of historical and biographical information about Hamilton. This would be a great resource for a US history or Civics class.

American history, economics, geography, and culture are explored in this site that presents unique insight into the construction of one of the world's most famous suspension bridges. Built hundreds of feet above the waters of the San Francisco Bay, the bridge stands as a symbol for many of the riveting themes in 20th century American history including the growth of urban areas, the continued development of the West, the New Deal, and the role of labor and labor unions. The site also features a timeline, video clips, a gallery of on-site construction photos, detailed information about people and events, a discussion of mathematical principles, and a helpful teacher's guide.

In the Classroom

This site is an excellent accompaniment to the movie with the same name by PBS. The teacher guide offers free lesson plans and activities for history, civics, economics, and geography classes. Beyond that there are also online games, discussion boards, and biography information that would make the site a great learning center or station. Save this site as a favorite and refer to it when discussing architecture, the Golden Gate Bridge, or a period lecture on the 1930's.

Your students will actually enjoy learning about the Federal Reserve System, its purpose, history, structure, and functions with this interactive site that includes activities and simulations. Students can follow how a check clears through the banking system and understand how monetary policies affect the economy. A teacher's guide provides downloadable lesson plans, printable versions of quizzes, and links to Federal Reserve materials that can be ordered at no cost. Check out the Classroom Guide link for tips on presenting the information to your students. Hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Flash Required.

In the Classroom

Use this site as a way to visually explain to students to processes of the Federal Reserve and our banking system. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard and guide students through the guide. The basic definitions will require more explanation but they provide excellent starting points and lecture guides. This would be a great resource/activity in a US history course before explaining the Great Depression. This will help students grasp the greater consequences, particularly the economics portion that is typically tricky to explain.

Bring current events to life in your classroom with this resource that connects students with international events. Politics, economics, geography, and culture are addressed by lesson plans (aligned to national standards) that challenge students to think deeply about global issues. Articles are written at a fairly high reading level and issues are complex. This is definitely a high-powered resource for concentrated analysis and serious discussion.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans and readings to help connect students to the content being taught in your social studies class. Be sure to save this site as a favorite to allow easy retrieval later on.

This site promoting the new U.S. $20 bill includes some games and activities that might interest elementary teachers. The information about anti-counterfeiting measures included in the bill may also be of interest to secondary teachers.

Hooray for the teachers in Maryland who linked children's literature to economics and geography. This site offers a collection of lessons based on popular children's books, each of which ties to an elementary concept of economics (well, commerce, really) or geography. The selection of titles is also interesting.

While currency exchange rates aren't part of every math curriculum, this site can illustrate both the changing relationships among currencies and the wide range of international currencies with which international traders must contend. Try this one as fodder for some interesting algebra word problems.

In the Classroom

This site would be great in a geography or World History classroom, helping students review for a final assessment. Have students "plan" a trip to some of the places/times studied in your class. Have them maintain a budget with their trip, and use this site to help students translate their financial dealings to have it all make sense. This is a great way to get students thinking about the mechanics of travel, as well as a great way to review the geography of the places being studied - both culturally and physically.

This Michigan State University site provides a rich collection of resources for examining global economics with high school economics students. This particular section of the site has resources on the business climate and economic data of almost 200 countries. The site also lists resources for further research about international trade, financial markets, and business news.

In the Classroom

Use this site as a resource for research projects or papers within in an economics or government classroom. Students can use the databases to find important sources. Post the site on your teacher wiki or webpage, allowing them to access the database both in and out of the classroom. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.